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When it comes to flu shots, there is one important truth: There's no better way to prevent the flu or stop the spread of flu than to get the vaccine. According to Jeff Dimond, a public affairs specialist with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, an estimated 120 million people got flu shots last year. The CDC reports that during the 2010-2011 flu season, about 49 percent of children and 41 percent of adults received the flu vaccine — meaning over half of Americans didn't do so.

A number of fears and misconceptions about the flu shot have spread over the years and prevented some people from getting it. These fears range from questions about vaccine safety to concerns over its overall effectiveness. Here's some information that will help put your fears to rest.

Common Flu Shot and Vaccine Safety Fears

The flu shot can cause autism. One misconception that persists despite evidence to the contrary is the vaccine-autism connection. This fear first surfaced because of thimerosal, a form of mercury used as a vaccine preservative, which was purported to be linked to autism but has since proven unrelated. As a precaution, thimerosal was removed from all childhood vaccines and most, but not all, flu shots in 2001. And although thimerosal is no longer in childhood vaccines, autism rates have gone up, which is the opposite of what would be expected if the preservative caused autism. "There is absolutely no evidence whatsoever that the flu vaccine causes autism," says Dimond.

The flu shot can give you the flu. Another common fear about the flu vaccine is that it causes the flu. "This is an old wives' tale," Dimond says. "The vaccine is made from a dead virus, and it's pretty hard to catch an illness from a dead virus." Rather, what the flu shot does is introduce your body to the killed virus so that it can develop a proper immune response in case you encounter the live virus later on in the flu season.

The flu shot is painful. Some people are afraid of the flu shot simply because they fear needles and the pain they produce. This is a valid argument, but Dimond says the one or two seconds of pain you'll feel from a flu shot ranks pretty low on the list of painful things you'll experience in life. "It hurts a whole lot less than having the flu for one or two weeks," he argues.
What's more, recently available flu vaccines are available with a smaller, shorter needles that are injected into the skin instead of muscle, eliminating a lot of the sting. The microneedle flu shot, called Fluzone intradermal, is less than one-tenth of an inch long, as opposed to a standard needle that's up to one and a half inches long.
You can always apply ice or take Tylenol if your arm is sore after the flu shot. And if you are deathly afraid of needles, then the nasal spray is an alternative that's available to healthy people age 2 to 49 years of age.

The flu shot isn't effective. An additional misconception is that the flu shot isn't effective enough to warrant getting one. However, the CDC reports that the shots are between 70 and 90 percent effective at preventing the flu, and even for those who do get sick, the vaccine provides at least partial protection, reducing the rates of hospitalization for flu complications. What's more, when you get the flu shot, you're helping to protect people you come in contact with — such as small children or the elderly — who have weaker immune systems.

Who Should Not Get a Flu Shot

In 2010, the CDC changed their recommendation on who should receive the flu vaccine, saying that everyone over the age of 6 months should be inoculated. But there are a few people who should not get the flu shot. They include:

Children younger than 6 months old

People who have reacted badly to the flu vaccine in the past

People with severe allergies to chicken eggs

People who have come down with Guillain-Barré syndrome within six weeks of getting the flu shot in the past

If you have a moderate or severe illness with a fever, simply wait to get your flu vaccine until your symptoms have passed.

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